The Captive Trilogy: Caged
by KesseGirl1
Summary: He thought nothing could get worse in his already pathetic life. Oh, how wrong he is. When Zaiden is captured by a hunting party of savages, what's he going to do? Especially when they make him the slave of the Chief's daughter...
1. Chapter 1

**The Captive Trilogy:**

**Book 1- Caged **

**~Chapter 1~**

He had been unconscious most of the day, and by the sharp pain splitting across his temple, he could tell he had a concussion. How bad? He didn't know. His arm was burned badly and was most likely infected, bruises and scrapes also littered his pale skin. He could feel warm, sticky, liquid sliding down the right side of his face, matting in his short black hair. He was being dragged, his hands were bound by strong rope and a cloth tide around his mouth gagged him. It was painfully obvious that he was being kidnapped.

He opened his eyes just as the dragging stopped. He tried to stand up and run but the world swayed before him as he went down. Someone kicked him in his side twice which made him groan. Something had cracked and he knew it. His kidnappers hauled him up and roughly grabbed his shoulders as they pulled him up the gangplank of a wooden ship, nothing like the steel ships from the Ainran Harbors. Where were they taking him anyway, and who were _they_?

Not wanting to risk even more serious injuries, he sat tight while they brought on more prisoners; they were from his squadron. He observed the tall and strongly built men, unlike the males where Zaiden was from. They had skin ranging between dark and tan. Their hair was dark also but a few were browns and blacks. Baggy tan trousers covered their bottom half with leather boots on their feet, the upper part of their bodies were left open, except for the occasional straps holding their weapons, such as the twin blades that- wait those were his!

Zaiden glared at one of the warriors as they watched him. Instead of glaring back like he thought the man would, the warrior just laughed and spoke to other tribesman, who was setting another prisoner down. They spoke in a tongue foreign to him. _Great, now I can't even understand them, _he thought to himself.

Feeling annoyed beyond comprehension, Zaiden sat up and glared at the wall, his face stone hard. He didn't know what to do and hated that feeling. He was a prince of Ainran, used to living in the lap of luxury inside a palace. Sometimes it was a grimy battlefield, but even then he was in charge of everything. He would _not _let these savages take what was his away from him.

Gritting his teeth as he got to his feet, his broken rib now feeling like a dozen knives cutting though his torso, he looked around for any escape route but it seemed the only way out was up. Zaiden knew he couldn't go up there because he would be caught for sure and probably be dead. He was about to go for it anyway when he suddenly seemed to notice the other prisoners in the hold with him. They kept to themselves, all beaten and ragged looking. The new rookie that had been in his squad, Private Taro, was huddled in the corner of his cell, his face obviously red from crying. Zaiden shook his head, he never did like weak soldiers, but he couldn't blame him for breaking. The mission they were on was supposed to be surveillance only; instead it turned into an all out bloodbath. Taro wasn't prepared for that, it was a wonder he had survived.

Zaiden grimaced as he tried to sit back down. He couldn't leave them, even if there were only four of them (including himself). He would be abandoning his post and his duty as a leader. If his father could see him now he would shake his head and sigh in disappointment. Zaiden pinched the bridge of his nose and laid his head back against the wooden wall. This would be the worst, by far, mess he had gotten himself into. Now if only he could get out (his comrades too) without getting anyone killed.

Days, weeks, or years- Zaiden didn't know how long it was- his wounds had gotten worse the farther and longer they traveled. The infection in his arm ravaged painfully, his vision blurred from the pain half the time. The tribesmen had only bandaged it roughly with a few torn off pieces of cloth from the bottom of his pants, changing it only every so often. It did nothing to help only stuck to his arm like glue making the wound itch.

Other than to change his bandage those couple of times, he had barely seen the warriors, except when they brought them food scraps from their dinners. One of them was particularly annoying because whenever he came down with the food he didn't even bend down to set the wooden bowl on the ground, he just dropped it making the contents spill over the dirty ship floor. Along with that all he did was glare at him and the others.

Zaiden could understand having a moody attitude after being in battle, but this was just nuts. It had probably been two or three weeks since then. After all, he had been fighting in the war against Savalin since he was fifteen. Where he was from, men or women at that age could sign up. Because they allowed women in the army, they had many more troops than Savalin did because they were the more traditional type of people, women weren't allowed to fight or work….at least that's how he understood it. Not that he agreed with it. His sister was living proof that any woman could fight. Being as ruthless as her or not.

It was around midday, probably three weeks since Zaiden's capture, when the ship suddenly got dark. The bits of light coming crevices in the walls darkened and he could not see. The ship slowed down and soon came to a complete stopped. He heard footsteps come down the stairs into the hold. Heavy steps came towards him and before he had time to react and tell where exactly they were, something went around his eyes and was tied around his head. The gag that had fallen out throughout the weeks was put back in and Zaiden was pulled his feet. He stumbled as his legs gave out from under him. They kept pulling him even as he tried to get to his feet. Willing him to stand and walk, to not be seen as week by these savages, he stood and followed after them. He was not going to be pulled around like some lame animal. It was foolish to fight a battle he knew he would not win, a wise man surrendered while he still had his life and honor.

Up the stairs into cool, almost cold, fresh air, they dragged Zaiden down a gangplank, his shoulders in the calloused and big hands of two warriors. His hands had been retied behind his back. They threw him on to a wobbly platform, though when his head rubbed against a rounded side he realized it wasn't a platform. He was on water again, this time in an even smaller boat. He heard a few of the men exchange words; they sounded harsh to his ears, the sounds made it hard for him to even begin to decipher their words.

Two other men stepped into the miniature boat. Scraping noises were heard and the boat was moving. The world lightened up behind the blindfold as the small boat came out of the echoing darkness. He moved his head trying to see beneath the blindfold but the warriors had tied it perfectly around his head. There was no getting out of it so long as it was on him. Zaiden tried the ropes binding his hands next, but that too was impossible to get out of. The rope wasn't like anything Ainran made in their factories surrounding the outskirts of most of the large cities. Because the rope, blindfold, and gag weren't coming off anytime soon it didn't look like escape was going to happen anytime soon either.

Just as it was on the ship, he didn't know how long he and the tribesmen were on these little boats. It seemed like days, but he figured it was only hours because he could see the light emitting in front of the blindfold dimming. The strangely cool evening was turning to a cold night as the dim light faded to darkness. Only the swish of things entering and coming out of the water made any sound, except for the occasional person talking. What they were talking about he could not for the life of him figure out what.

His teeth started chattering as the cold winds howled around the water and around them. He knew he was shaking from the cold. Two strong and large hands gripped his upper arms, steadying his shivering. The man behind him holding him spoke some words sternly and was quiet again, he released his hold on Zaiden but the hands came back again when the shivering started up again. The words were the same as he had spoken before only louder and a lot harsher. He suspected the warrior wanted him to stop shaking. Like that was going to happen when it was so dang cold out. But he tried his best anyway.

A shadow cast itself in front of Zaiden's already dark vision. He turned his head in different directions, trying to determine what was in front of them; a large rock possibly, or maybe another cave? Whatever it was, the swishing stopped and the boats slowed, bumping against something hard. The boat tipped slightly as someone stood up. The weight lightened and the boat steadied. Hands grabbed his arms and hauled him up over a broad shoulder. The person carrying him swayed, stepped up, and then he was solid as a rock again. They then took Zaiden from the shoulder, he was grateful when he felt something solid beneath his bare feet. He frowned when he realized it wasn't regular cement. It felt gritty and sharp in some places, it was…foreign. Just like everything else was here.

Before he could do anything, he heard a small voice shout. It sounded like a child's. Some more voices were heard and the sound of running. Zaiden was pushed forward but he did not move willingly. He had enough. He shoved at the men holding him, trying to rip from their grasp. He managed to get free of their hands, his binding's snagging on something when he ran. He thought they almost had him again but they fell behind as he ran for his life.

When Zaiden figured he was far enough away, he bent down and pulled a small knife from his boot and turned it upside down, hardly cutting through the ropes. He managed a nice couple of slits before he tried to pull them apart. They snapped and he immediately pulled down his blindfold. Shaking off the bindings, Zaiden looked behind him just as two large men grabbed him. He tried to break away again but they held on to him tightly, pulling his arms behind him.

His own knife was held at his throat as they took him back to the docks. He noticed that there were many others now, including women and children. All of the men, he realized, had been on that ship. Why would they leave the women unprotected, much less the children? His thoughts were thrown away when he saw that they weren't staying at the docks. That's when Zaiden noticed the brown houses farther into the mainland. They were puny compared to the homes that his people lived in. How could anyone live in these?

They took his to the largest house. There was nothing really special about it that separated itself from the others, only that it was bigger. When they entered the building his eyes went to three particular people. One of them, Zaiden noticed, as the man who had laughed at him on the ship. A second man stood beside him, older- much older- than him, but with practically the same features, darker skin and brown hair, square jaw and wide eyes. When his gaze landed on the third person in the room, he went stiff. A woman, obviously, but so very different from other women he had met. She looked fierce; she stood straight as a tree, and was armed with various weapons.

The men holding Zaiden tied his hands again, one of them keeping the knife at his throat. The three people- including the woman- watched him closely. The man Zaiden had been laughed at by muttered something to the older man. The woman paid them no attention; her eyes were aflame and ready to burn him alive. That's what it looked like at least. The man finished tying him up and shoved him forward. Zaiden grunted from surprise and sat back on his knees with a snarl. He glared at the ground.

He saw the woman approach, her feet landing right in front of him. Bear feet, leading up to long and exposed legs- now was not the time to be distracted! Zaiden was reminded now why they didn't have women on the battle-field; it made far too many distractions. Plus where he came from the women kept mostly everything covered with fancy dresses and elaborate hair styles to keep the men distracted. Apparently that wasn't the case here. The women he had seen only had on clothing that covered them from their chest down to their knees. The straps of the blue colored dress-like clothing were sleeveless and thick. A white sash/belt went around her waist and the crisscross neckline was also lined with white.

"Look," for a moment, Zaiden thought the word was just another mumbling mess, but then when she said it again he realized that she was speaking in the trade dialect that many merchants and sailors spoke in Ainran. He was fluent enough in it; after all he was a prince. Though he knew what she was saying and what she wanted he refused and lowered his head even more with an even harder glare.

He was surprised when she reached out and pulled his chin up, her sharp nails digging into his face making small crescent moons. He kept his glare as she glared right back, "_Look,_" She growled, digging her nails into his chin. He narrowed his eyes but otherwise kept quiet. The older man behind the woman turned and looked at the younger man. All he did was nod and sat down beside an ancient woman on cushions.

The younger man spoke something, just a word, and the woman let go of him and turned to the man. She spoke harshly; the sound could cut through pavement easily. She looked at Zaiden just as the other man spoke, finality in his voice before leaving. The woman shook her head, she gestured to the two warriors on the side of the room. They came and grabbed the prince and dragged him from the room.

The room connected to the main area was a lot smaller in size. A bundle of wool blankets and pelts were neatly piled on a wooden platform. Zaiden assumed that this structure was supposed to be some sort of form of a bed. The only other thing in the room was a metal chest, a lock was firmly in place and no key was in sight. These people were really starting to weird Zaiden out. Why wouldn't they have more things if they didn't have to sell or trade anything? It boggled his mind slightly.

The men dragging him put him over by the wooden platform and left him there, locking the door behind them when they left. There was only one window and it was considerably high up. But he could still look out it without even standing on the tips of his toes. It was still dark out so there wasn't much to see but from what he could there was a forest in the distance, or a big dark blob that Zaiden distinguished as one.

Lowering himself back down on the floor, a small wince as his ribs ached, he waited patiently for something, or anything, to happen. But, after a few hours of waiting with nothing happening and no one coming in, Zaiden curled up on the floor and closed his eyes, trying to get some much needed sleep. He would deal with the savages in the morning when his eyes weren't so heavy.

* * *

**AN: Hey guys, I'm back with my new book and series, The Captive Trilogy. I won't be posting any chapters anytime soon because I just wanted to see how people's response to this is :) If they like it, I'll get writing more chapters, if not...well, I'll take it down. But for now, I'm only going to be working on my Star Wars fanfiction, The Deserter: Book 1. Read it if you like Star Wars :)**

**That's pretty much all I have to say. I doubt it that people even read these Author Notes anyways.**

**KG1!~**


	2. Chapter 2

**~Chapter 2~**

Someone kicked him awake the next morning. He grimaced as the foot made contact with his damaged ribs. He was prepared to yell that the person who dared wake him before sunup, but when he opened his eyes he found himself in unfamiliar surroundings. It barely took a moment before the memories of the night before came back to him in a rushing flood. The person in front of Zaiden kicked him again making him yelp and sit up quickly. He did not need internal bleeding along with his other wounds.

"Alright, alright! I'm up," Zaiden growled in annoyance and pain, the man kicked him again and gave him a pointed look, Zaiden narrowed his eyes, "Stop kicking me. I've already have broken ribs!" The man raised an eyebrow in a confused stare, that's when Zaiden remembered that no one here could understand him, just like he couldn't understand them. He huffed but stood up like he figured the savage wanted him to. The tribesman in front of him nodded in satisfaction and gripped the ropes binding

Zaiden's hands and starting pulling him from the room. At first, the prince didn't want to do anything, but he figured the best thing he could do right now was stay alive. When his father's men discovered that his body wasn't where the attack had been, they would assume he is alive and come looking for him. Until then, he had to put up with these cow-hearted beasts.

In the main room the man who had laughed at him on the ship was there, along with the older man and ancient woman. The other woman was nowhere to be seen. Good. Zaiden didn't really care to have a repeat of yesterday. In Ainran, a woman could be punished by death if she ever so much as laid a hand on any man. It seemed as if these Tribals let their women have a lot of free rein. The older man eyed Zaiden before muttering something to the old woman beside him on the cushions. The other man came forward and pursed his lips, putting his hand beneath his chin as if he were thinking. He nodded finally and walked over to Zaiden, grabbing his bound hands. He pulled out a knife, and for just a moment Zaiden thought he was going to cut his hands off, but then he heard the slice of metal on fabric. Opening his eyes, that he didn't even realize that he had closed, he saw the ropes fall to the ground. What were they doing? Were they not afraid of him attacking them? He felt something sharp touch his back. A single glance behind him told him that there was a spear pressed against him.

The man gave him a small smile that Zaiden easily read as 'You couldn't run even if you tried' He narrowed his eyes at the man suspiciously. There wasn't really a point of untying him. He'd escape eventually, and if he could get the others as well that was a bonus. All he had to do was find them. The man in front of him said something to the one behind Zaiden before wrapping an arm around his neck casually and leading him from the lodge. Zaiden felt very uncomfortable as the man started to babble, waving his free hand around in wild gestures. All it sounded like to him was a bunch of made up words. Did they really expect him to understand them?

They stopped outside of another, much smaller, lodge. Along the side of the building his squad members sat bound and gagged, but relatively unharmed. The man said something, a couple of words before looking at the men guarding the captives and nodded towards them. He said something else before walking away with Zaiden under his arm. They walked towards the lake that Zaiden now realized was there. The sun was just coming up over the distant treetops. It seemed to set everything aglow. It almost shocked Zaiden how beautiful it was. Back in Ainran, they never got sunrises like these. It was mostly cloudy and rainy where he was from. They walked towards the lakes edge where a few other warriors were. The one right beside Zaiden called out to them and they waved them over. Zaiden looked behind him to see the other captives stumbling after them, other tribesmen with spears behind them. When they got to the water's edge the man beside him who had called to the men (also the one who had laughed at him on the ship) spoke something loudly to all of the captives, including him. Zaiden had no idea what he said but by the way the other captives looked at them and began to strip their clothes off…

Oh no, was the only thought running through his mind as his fellow captives went into the water, nude. He shook his head in complete and utter annoyance. How dare these savages think they could just scare them around into doing things like this? No. He would not allow it. When the warrior in front of him raised an eyebrow and said the words again, this time in the trade language, "Off and in," he said and pointed to the water, Zaiden looked him squarely in the eye and spat in his face, clearly saying no. Zaiden slipped into a defensive stance. He wouldn't stand for this anymore. The warrior wiped his eye first before looking back at the prince. He unsheathed his machete and pointed it at Zaiden threateningly. But still, the dark-haired man did not move.

Slamming his elbow into the man's chest he grabbed the machete from the warrior's loosened grip. His small victory didn't last long because one of the other tribesmen barreled into him, knocking him to the ground and taking the weapon from him. Zaiden silently cursed as the warriors pulled him to his feet again. He glared at the surrounding savages. The man he had spit on looked at him, he was clearly frustrated (not quite angry though.) He licked his lips thoughtfully, "Brave," he said to Zaiden, who was a bit confused now, but then he also said, "Foolish, too." He pointed to the water, "In," and then to Zaidan's clothes, "Off." The look he then got was to say "and don't do something stupid again.' Zaiden pursed his lips and huffed before taking off his shirt, followed by his pants and boots, thankful that they didn't press him to strip bare like the others did. Then he waded into the biting cold water and walked out a little ways. He submerged completely in the cold liquid, blood pounding in his ears. He came up for breath a minute later.

He looked around at his surroundings subtly. The other captives were away near the rocky and sandy shore, not paying him any mind so he ignored them and focused on the water instead. Zaiden scooped up a handful of water and splashed his already wet face and rubbed it, massaging his eyes. Dark circles starting to appear beneath his eyes That's when he looked down and saw his face in the crystal clear water; ripples were the only thing disturbing his reflection. He ran a finger over the long and angled scar that went from his temple to almost his chin on the right side of his face. It was the only thing ruined his appearance. Everyone always seemed to stare at it whenever he would talk to them. But for some odd reason, these…people, he guessed he could call them, didn't seem to do that. When they had brought him before the Chief, the day before, he had taken one look at it and a weird look his eyes had appeared. It almost seemed like…respect? No. That was impossible. He was about as good as a slave out here to them.

A whistle caught his attention which snapped him out of his reverie. He looked back at the shore where the other captives were now coming up on. He sighed and swam back in. When he was just coming out he noticed an extra few people there. Women, three, in fact. And one of them he recognized very well. She was eyeing him with a disgusted glare. Her brilliant blue eyes were flashing with cold anger and rage. If it weren't for the man next to her that was speaking, she probably would have lunged and ripped his throat out. Why? He didn't know. What did she have against him? He mustered up the best glare he could give and threw it at her. It was his 'don't mess with me' look. The other captives seemed a little bit uncomfortable around him whenever he wore it. But it didn't falter the woman's glance. All she did was say a couple of words to the warrior nearest to her and then she and the other to women left.

The man she had been talking to walked over to Zaiden and rolled his eyes, "She sister," then he pointed to himself, "Saric, son of Hadin" and then at the prince, "You?" Zaiden kept his mouth shut and glared at the ground. The man who had laughed at him- Saric, he had said was his name- slapped him on the back and pulled him along, "You stubborn, much like sister. You her's now. You work," Saric explained. Zaiden furrowed his brow. He was right. They did think of him as a slave. After the warriors handed them some new undergarments and pants to put on, Zaiden and the others dressed and followed Saric and his men to the main building, the large one. The Chieftain and the old woman were there, waiting for them on the comfortable looking cushions. The Chief stood up and walked (more like hobbled because of a strange limp he had) over to Saric. He said something in Tribal and the Chief answered back. Saric turned to the captives and gestured to the Chief, "Chief Hadin, son of Goalin." The name Hadin rang a little bell in Zaiden's head. He remembered Saric saying something that he was the son of "Hadin" so that meant that if he was working for Saric's sister...He was working for the Chief's daughter. Oh crap.

Speaking of her, she was standing by the door with crossed arms. Chief Hadin beckoned her over and she did so with a scowl. Her father took her hand and then took Zaiden's hand. He put Zaiden and his daughter's hand together. And for just a moment, a jolt of energy ran up Zaiden's arm, but it was there as quick as it had gone. The woman tore her hand away from his as quick as she could and stormed out. Saric turned to Zaiden with an almost...accepted look. The approving smile that crossed his face confused Zaiden to no end, when he spoke it didn't help at all, "You prove self to tribe, you work till then." And that was it. The Chief waved them out and sat back down on the cushion. The old woman beside him gave Zaiden a thoughtful look. When the prisoners left, she turned to her son-in-law.

"Do you really deem it wise to do this, Hadin?"she spoke in the tribes language, she had a small accent, "You know how stubborn she can be. You and Saric might do more harm than good." The elder sighed when she finished.

"Tafaran was unworthy of my daughter's hand, and because of that he perished in a battle that could have been prevented easily if he had half the brains that any regular person should," Chief Hadin spoke quietly in the same language as his mother-in-law.

"But she had loved him."

"She loved Anvin, and yet he chose his people over her."

"He had no choice."

"There is always a choice, dear Mother."

"But they are not always the choices that we want," the Chief's mother-in-law told him sharply.

While the two relatives bickered amongst themselves, Saric and a few other warriors had led the captives to the lodge where they had spent the previous night, excluding Zaiden of course. This time they were allowed to enter the lodge. Inside it was surprisingly roomy. Saric turned to the captives, "Stay, _kunnes illan juhla,"_ Zaiden and the other's had no idea what he said at the end because he had been speaking in his own tongue. He then left, closing and locking the door.

"When are we escaping?" Private Taro blurted out the moment the Chief's son left. The other three captives looked at him in surprise, including Zaiden- who, up until now, hadn't taken escaping very seriously- He still had no plan and so far no opportunity had presented itself. When he realized that the prisoners were staring at him now, he licked his lips in thought before sighing and deciding to just tell them the truth.

"We can't," the shocked looks from the others made him correct himself, "We can't just yet," their shoulders only slightly relax, "These warriors, they're stronger and more trained anyone in Ainran had ever thought. And though may get in trouble with these words, my father isn't always right, you know."

"But sir," one of the others, a short man with scarred and calloused hands, started, "They are savages, they have no form of any kind in battle. They cheat, and lie, and scheme their way through things-" Zaiden cut him off.

"Hey, I never said my opinion has changed, I still think that too. But maybe our opinions aren't very founded and accurate," he told his men, "But I will tell you this, and only once, so pay attention. We will not try to escape until there is a right time and place to do so. And until that time we need to concentrate on staying alive. I noticed earlier that you two seem to understand them?" he pointed to the remaining two there; a tall, gruff looking fellow; and a pale, grey eyed, man with a silver piercing on his right brow. The gruff man glanced at the other, but was silent, Grey eyes spoke up instead.

"Tup here is mute, but I'll vouch for the both of us that we only partly understand them. We spent a year in captivity in the other tribe."

Zaiden was surprised by this tidbit of information, "There's another tribe?" Grey eyes nodded, the prince glanced at Gruff- his name was actually Tup- who also confirmed it, "How many are there, exactly?"

"Just two, at least that's what we learned," Grey eyes scratched his side and then nodded towards the door, "That man just said- though it might be a little rough around the edges- that we must stay here until the celebration tonight. My guess is that it must be a victory celebration. probably gonna be some good food…" he muttered to himself. Ziden turned to Taro, whose hands were shaking slightly and his eyes were trained on the ground.

"Private, you need to get ahold of yourself," Taro looked up at Zaiden, "I know this wasn't planned and that you are a very 'by the book' person. But for all I know is that my is sending search parties out right now. And if he isn't, my mother will make sure he does. Alright? You're going to be fine, we're all going to be fine."  
Something in Zaiden's voice shook all the way down to Taro's core and he stopped shaking immediately, somehow knowing that there was some truth behind his prince's words.

* * *

**AN: I know these chapters are a bit short, but you try writing very descriptive chapters, and then come back and tell me that! Anyways, they should get longer the more I go into the series. I hope you at least like the story line and the characters I have brought in so far :)**

**KG1!~**


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